​Lerato Mailoane
The Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Fikile Majola has described the Sedibeng Region as the heartland of industrialisation in Gauteng.
"Government has a deep conviction that it will turn Sedibeng into a prosperous district and that it will also transform this industrial basin into the country's pre-eminent hub for low-carbon manufacturing and renewable energy production," said Majola.
Majola was speaking at the Sedibeng Investment Summit in the Vaal on Friday. The summit showcased Sedibeng as ready and open for investments amid the global recession made worse by weak growth locally and the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on economies.
"The pandemic has deepened pre-existing socio-economic trends such as infrastructure gaps, income inequality and rising unemployment rate which is the most important economic variable of most concern."
To revive the region, Majola said innovative responses from leadership from all spheres of government are in motion.
"The national and provincial government are working closely with a range of relevant parastatals and partnerships with the private sector on an economic revitalisation programme for the Vaal Region. 
"This is linked to the dtic efforts to set up and anchor the revival of the industrial belt in the area through a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) which will form a single multi-tier and integrated zone." 
The SEZ Programme is at the core of the re-imagined industrial strategy purposely structured to stimulate local and foreign direct investment, increase exports, develop local industrial capabilities and accelerate the development of the country.
"We are building on the Vaal SEZ vision as well as arresting the decline and imminent collapse of the steel industry through government interventions to accelerate manufacturing-led industrialisation.
"These proposed investments present an opportunity to accelerate the development of infrastructure, which has multipliers with regards to stimulating other manufacturing activities."
Furthermore, Majola said the dtic is working with the other spheres of government, in the development of the proposed projects in the area such as the Heidelberg Aerodrome, the development of a Hydrogen hub, the development of the Vaal River City, the Vaal Marina Commercial development and the Vaal River Cannabis project.